English

Recent posts

If you are learning English, you must know parts of speech. Words are building blocks of a sentence and all of them have a different job. Based on word's use and functions, words can be categorized into 9 basic types or classes. These classes are called "parts of speech". This ... Read more...

Hi everyone. I am so excited to announce that soon we will have an IELTS and TOEFL iBT program on SpeakAlley to help IELTS and TOEFL test takers. Here is what I put together quickly for learners who are planning to appear for the IELTS test. Let's see a quick ... Read more...

I was posed the question today in our SpeakAlley session, "what is the difference between a rock and a mountain?" Quite a lot, actually. At my old home here, we used to say that "we grow rocks" since Northern Arizona is historically a volcanic area and the evidence is easily ... Read more...

An act, statement, or gift that is intended to express gratitude, respect, or admiration, especially for a dead person. A tribute to Muhammad Ali is projected at the intersection of 4th Street and Manhattan Avenue. Read more...

When a room feels stuffy it means that the room lacks fresh air. It is usually at least a little too warm and there is no perceivable air movement in the room. The first thing one wants to do upon entering a stuffy room is open the windows, or at ... Read more...

A collection of clothes is referred to as a wardrobe. A way to use this word in a sentence is, "She was looking for a special dress to add to her wardrobe". You can also add accessory items, such as belts or purses to a person's wardrobe, as we often ... Read more...

This session was of some things that I grew up with, as my mother was a seamstress who accidentally started a business, entirely by " word of mouth ". She made some dresses (for little girls) with lots of ruffles and lace, which were popular at the time, and donated ... Read more...

Here is the answer to question number three (Use the links to view the answers to the previous questions. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 ): First, I want to point to a previous article that covers much about this answer. You can view the article here at: ... Read more...

This hole, where you insert the thread, is called the, "eye" of the needle. Sometimes, to emphasize the extreme difficulty of something, it is said that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for it to happen. This is commonly believed ... Read more...

Dishwashers have come a long way since their inception. Originally, you had to rinse all the food off of all the dishes and even pour the water into the "machine", but now, it isn't necessary to do much more than scrape the dishes to remove the larger pieces of food; ... Read more...

This tranquil scene depicts a church, with its steeple in the middle ground of the photograph, In older times in America, it was common practice for the cemetary, or graveyard, to be located on, or adjacent to, church property. These decorative tomstones would signify something about the financial status of ... Read more...

Here is the answer to question number two (Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 3 ): Im new here, how should I begin (to use SpeakAlley.com)? First, you will need to create a SpeakAlley account. After logging into the account, click around the site and scroll down, ... Read more...

The answer is Kettle :) A kettle is a vessel usually made of metal and with a handle used for boiling liquids or cooking foods. While the term kettle is an older term and not in common use anymore here in the U.S., it is still used, especially when referring ... Read more...

This is the recording of me trying to pronounce correctly all of the words in a poem that 90% of native English speakers cannot say correctly the entire way through. I didn't make it either... Mansi was AWSOME! She was the only one brave enough to give this a try ... Read more...

The different ways to improve your English language skills on SpeakAlley I am often asked these questions: How can I improve my speaking/listening skills? Im new here, how should I begin (to use SpeakAlley )? How can I get help with my writing skills ? Let me answer these questions ... Read more...

I am often asked how others can benefit from the SpeakAlley.com website and utilize it to its full potential. Let me first say that SpeakAlley started as a social network and it is primarily still a social network; a place to meet other people interested in language learning, and to ... Read more...

[caption id="attachment_900" align="alignright" width="300"] Speaking a new language is a process that improves with practice. [/caption] I am repeatedly asked this question, "How can I improve my English speaking skills. This article is to expound on some observations that I have made in how best to help when I encounter ... Read more...

[caption id="attachment_952" align="alignright" width="200"] This is a "toilet" but the room these are located in may be called by several different names.[/caption] Someone related an experience on the SpeakAlley trending page and I wanted to add some information to it. The original post discussed the interchangeability of the two words, ... Read more...

Nowadays, most of the reputed companies are employee friendly and there is no better consultant than employees who can validate the concern and offer suggestions best suited for a company. I agree with the statement that companies should consult with their employees instead of consultants to operate the company efficaciously. ... Read more...

I want to thank Sassi Khowaja for submitting her essay on this great topic! This is an issue that is facing the elderly parents around the world and I want to thank all of my friends here at Speak Alley for sharing their perspectives with me on this topic; in ... Read more...

[caption id="attachment_290" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] English vocabulary from news.[/caption] English vocabulary from today's (March 3, 2015) news. This video is part of a video series where I will share puzzling and difficult words, idioms and phrasal verbs from daily news articles. This video series is for everyone who wants to learn ... Read more...

[caption id="attachment_290" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Speaking about first day of college.[/caption] A short story on "First day of college". This video is part of a video series where I'll be talking about random topics to improve English speaking skills. This video series is for everyone who wants to speak in English ... Read more...

[caption id="attachment_290" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Talking about my morning.[/caption] A short story on "Morning". This video is part of a video series where I'll be talking about random topics to improve English speaking skills. This video series is for everyone who wants to speak in English but are finding it difficult ... Read more...

Having trouble coming up with proper terms to describe your family members? [caption id="attachment_122" align="aligncenter" width="2592"] Talking about family members in English[/caption] It can be difficult for new learners of English to describe their family while speaking in English. This can happen due to the lack of vocabulary related to ... Read more...